1. IDV Perspective: Climatology of the 2005 Hurricane Season Shelley O. Holmberg University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, NC Brian J. Etherton University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, NC W. Jeff Weber Unidata Program Center, Boulder, CO

2. Acknowledgements Project: Interactive Multimedia Prototype for Creating Case Studies in the Community - the 2005 Atlantic Hurricane Season Sponsor: Unidata/University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR) Thanks to: Greg Byrd, Bruce Muller, and Pat Parrish at the Cooperative Program for Operational Meteorology, Education, and Training (COMET) and Richard Cianflone

3. Setting Context Integrated Data Viewer (IDV) –Interactive framework to visualize/analyze Earth Science data Distinctive because… –3-dimensional renderings –Supports more data formats than other data visualization programs –Platform independent (Java-based)

4. IDV Example

13. IDV System Requirements Supported Operating Systems –Windows –Linux –MacOS-X –Solaris RAM (Random Access Memory) requirements –512MB minimum

14. Supported Formats: –netCDF –GRIB –ADDE –Vis5D Access Methods: –Local files –HTTP –ADDE and TDS servers Supported Data Sources Data Types: –Gridded data –Satellite imagery –Radar data –Point observations –Balloon soundings –NOAA Profiler Network winds –GIS data –Quicktime movies ADDE = Abstract Data Distribution Environment TDS (THREDDS) = Thematic Realtime Environmental Distributed Data Services Unidata Program Center, IDV Users Guide, Version 2.0, July 7, 2006.

15. The Module Purpose of “2005 Atlantic Tropical Cyclone Season” module (hereafter 2005 module) –Educational module to showcase the climatological factors present in 2005 to force the most active season on record

16. Methods: 2005 module sources National Center for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) Nomad3 Reanalyses –On-line GrADS-DODS Server 1.2.9 –Resolution: 2.5 o x 2.5 o National Climate Data Center (NCDC) NOMADS reanalysis –On-line GrADS Server 1.3 –Resolution: 2.0 o x 2.0 o NOMADS = NOAA Operational Model Archive and Distribution System

17. Methods: Making the 2005 module Formatting based on “ingredients” favorable for Tropical Cyclone formation –Pre-existing disturbances –26 o C sea surface temperatures at least 50m deep –Low shear –Thermodynamic Instability –Moist mid-troposphere –Vorticity Use IDV to illustrate all are more favorable in 2005 than climate averages

18. 2005 Module: Dashboard

21. 2005 Module: June Relative Vorticity

22. 2005 Module: July Relative Vorticity

23. 2005 Module: August Relative Vorticity

24. 2005 Module: September Relative Vorticity

25. 2005 Module: October Relative Vorticity

26. 2005 Module: November Relative Vorticity

27. 2005 Module: December Relative Vorticity

28. 2005 Module: Text Notes

30. Future Modules Series of at least three educational modules –“2005 Atlantic Tropical Cyclone Season” module - climatological focus –“Hurricane Katrina” module - societal impacts focus –“Hurricane Wilma” module - meteorological aspects focus … to showcase broad spectrum of IDV capabilities

31. Classroom Applicability Target age group: upper-level undergraduates Encourages better understanding and recognition of atmospheric processes Use of real data beneficial: –more sophisticated presentation of concepts –better prepares students entering the atmospheric science career field